Swivel.



V. YORK.

SWIVEL.

APPLICATION FILED 0c.21. 1915.

Patented July 4,

' VICTOR YORK, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I

swrvnn.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed December 27,1915. Serial No. 68,928.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR YORK, a c1t1' zen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Swivel, of which the following 1s a specification. i

My invention relates to the art of (11111- ing oil wells. In this art, wells are commonly driven by the so-called rotary system, in which a string of drill pipe carrying a bit at the lower end is rotated by suitable means, a mud laden fluid being supplied to the interior of the well passing down through the drill mud laden fluid maintaining a hydrostatic pressure on the well and serving'to carry away the cuttings from the bit. For the purpose of supporting, or partially supporting, the drill pipe, a swivel 1s ordinarlly employed, this swivel being secured to the upper end of the dull pipe and bemg sultably suspended from the derrick, and further being provided with a mud connection through which mud laden fluid 1s sup- I v I plied.

The object of my invention is provide a new and improved form of swivel whicln, will have relatively few parts and which W111 be so constructed that it is easily maintained in operation over long periods. For the purpose of raising and lowering the drlll pipe in the well,',clamp1ng suspension means are employed, th ese suspenslon means being commonly called elevators and belng adapted to fit around the drill pipe and engage the underside of the collars thereon for the purpose of lifting the drill plpe. In the ordinary forms of swivels it is common to attach I bails or other suspension means to the swivel itself.

A further obj ect of my invention is to construct a swivel which can be engaged and normally carried by a standard elevator. By so constructing my swivel that it may be supported and carried by the standard elevator, I am able to greatly simplify the cone standard elevator is used at all times, and

struction thereof, and I am also able to save considerable time in the handling of the drilling string, due to the fact that a need not be removed from the hook whenever the swivel is placed in service.

Further objects and advantages will be evident hereinafter.

" In the drawings, which are for illustrapipe to the bit, this tive purposes only: Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view shown in section on a plane represented by the line w m of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig.

3 is an elevation showing the method of supporting the swivel on a standard elevator suspended from the hook of the derrick.

In these drawings, a drill pipe 11 is .provided with a standard collar 12, the drill pipe 11 extending down into the well and connecting through similar lengths of drill pipe and similar collars 12 to the bitat the bottom of the well. The drill pipe 11 is rotated by suitable means not shown, these means being old in the art. Threaded in the upper end of the collar 12 is a roller casing 13, this roller casing consisting of a lower portion 14 which is threaded in the collar 12, and an upper portion 15 which is threaded at 16 to receive a casing nut 17. This casing nut 17 has notches 18 cut therein, or it may be provided with an other suitable means which may be engaged by any of the various forms of'wrenches. An oil opening 19 is drilled through the casing nut 17 for supplying oil tothe interior of the upper part 15 of the roller casing 13.

The roller casing 13 is threaded at 20, and a mud sleeve 21 is secured therein, this mud sleeve extending upwardly and having a pa'ckingring 22 formed on the inner surface thereof and being threaded at 23 for the reception of a mud sleeve nut 24. The

for the reception of a goose-neck 30, this goose-neck '30 having a hose connection 31 secured thereon by means of a nut 32. The hose connection 31 has a flexible hose 33 secured thereto, this hose 33 being connected to a mud pump not shown.

Surrounding the mud sleeve 21 is a stationary sleeve 40, this sleeve having a roller bearing flange 41 formed in the lower end thereof, this roller bearing flange being inside of and slightly smaller in diameter than the interior of the upper portion 15 of the roller casing 13 which is in reality an oil p t- 1:;

Located; between the roller bearing flange 41 and the nut 17 is a lower roller bearing race 42, a series of rollers 4:3, and an upper roller race 1 1, the parts 42, 4:3 and 44 forming a convenient friction reducing means and running in oil or grease which is supplied through the opening 19. J

The stationary sleeve 4L0 extends upwardly through an opening in the nut 17 and is of sufficient length to receive the body of the standard elevator 50, the outer diameter of the stationary sleeve 40 being approximately equal to the outer diameter of the drill pipe 11. i

Secured to the upper end of the stationary sleeve 10 is a collar 51, this collar being of approximately the same outside diameter as the drill pipe collar 1.2.

The length of the stationary sleeve 12 and the mud sleeve 21 is such that there is plenty of space for the standard elevator 50 to go therearound above the nut- 17. The elevator 50 is supported by means of bails 61 from a hook 62 suspended by means of a the arrow through the goose-neck 30 and downwardly through the mud pipe 27 into the interior of the mud sleeve 21, passing downwardly therethrough and through the lower portion 14: of the roller casing 12 into the interior of the pipe 11. The stationary sleeve 21 is supported by the elevator 50 and remains stationary therein, the remainder of the elevator turning, the weight therein being supported on the nut 17 whichrests upon the roller bearing which rtrfisin oil and therefore has a very low friction. Whenever it is desired to pull the drill pipe, which must be done frequently to remove hits, the following procedure is adopted: The hook 63 is elevated to such a point that one of the drill pipe collars '12 is considerably above the table of the well, not shown, and in an accessible position. The lower portion 14 of the roller casing 13 is then unscrewed from the collar 12 and the swivel is lowered on the floor of the derrick, the elevator 50 being removed therefrom. The elevator may then be used to lift the drill pipe in the well by fitting around the drill pipe 11,- and pressing against the collar 12 according to standard practice, or the elevator 50 may be used to lift into place an additional string of drill pipe according to .standard practice. In either case the elemeaaoe supporting said roller casing on the lower end of said stationary sleeve,'a mud sleeve secured in said roller casing and projecting upwardly through saidstationary sleeve, a mud pipe projecting downwardly inside said mud sleeve, and means for packing said mud pipe so as to make a rotatable tight joint with said mud sleeve.

2. In a swivel for use with a string of drill pipe, a stationary sleeve of approximately the same diameter as the drill pipe, a stationary sleeve collar secured to the upper end of said stationary sleeve, a roller casing, means for securing said roller casing to the drill pipe, a roller bearing flange formed on the lower end of said stationary sleeve, a friction reducing means supported on said flange, means for supporting said roller casing on said friction reducing means, a mud sleeve secured in said roller casing and projecting upwardly through said stationary sleeve, a mud pipe projecting downwardly inside said mud sleeve, and means for packing said mud pipe so as to make a rotatable tight joint with said mud sleeve.

3. In a swivel for use with a string of drill pipe, a stationary sleeve of approximately the same diameter as the drill pipe, a stationary sleeve collar secured to the upper end of said stationary sleeve, a roller casing, means for securing said roller casing to the drill pipe, a roller bearing flange formed on the lower end of said stationary sleeve, a friction reducing means supported on said flange, a casing nut secured in said casing resting upon and supported by said friction reducing means, a mud sleeve secured in said roller casing and projecting upwardly through-said stationary sleeve, a mud pi e projecting downwardly inside said mud s eeve, and means for packing said mud pipe so as to make a rotatable tight oint wlth said mud sleeve.

In testimony whereof, I have hereuntoset my hand at Los Angeles, vCalifornia, this 18th day of December, 1915; i

I VICTOR YQRK. 

